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Moha Ennaji maintains the number of ISIS recruits from Morocco fighting in Iraq and Syria "has begun to diminish, owing largely to the implementation of rigorous security measures." He says "much more work" still lies ahead, if "the threat is to be eliminated entirely." Indeed, before the Madrid train bombings in March 2004 and the deadly suicide bombings in Casablanca in May 2003, Moroccans had always prided themselves on being the liberal face of Islam. Tangiers, Marrakech and Casablanca have been popular destinations for Westerners seeking thrills and adventures, while Islamists linked to al-Qaeda see gays and lesbians, adulterers and drinkers as infidels.
No doubt the authoritarian rule of Hassan II, the father of King Mohammed VI was one of the reasons for Morocco's slide towards fundamentalism. Hassan II ruled for 38 years and played a prominent role in the search for peace in the Middle East. He also ruthlessly suppressed domestic opposition. His son, Mohammed VI, who succeeded him in 1999 is a cautious moderniser. He sought to introduce some economic and social liberalisation. In response to the Arab uprisings in 2011 he revised the constitution and appointed a new government, but it has failed to meet democratic and economic expectations. Morocco has been given the status of non-Nato ally by the US and praised for supporting Washington's role in fighting terrorism.
According to a report in June 2014, "a staggering 1,193 Moroccans were reportedly fighting" for ISIS. Sadly, Morroco and Tunisia - the most liberal Muslim country in the world - have "the largest foreign contingent of jihadists in Iraq and Syria." Youth bulge and high unemployment in a corrupt regime drive uneducated, disgruntled young men into the arms of Islamists. No doubt the $1,400 per month that ISIS pays is "a substantial sum for young men, often from poor families, who are unemployed or doing odd jobs at home for some $150 a month." They fall prey to ISIS's slick media campaign, seizing the opportunities to live the adventurous life of a hero or martyr.
Ennaji says that according to the "Moroccan North Observatory of Human Rights, only 16 Moroccan jihadists traveled to Syria and Iraq in the first six months of this year." It is a positive development, but the authorities' "multifaceted strategy" has to be more resourceful than the ISIS propaganda. The state needs to deal with popular grievances and offer young people positive future perspectives. Morocco is on the right path, if it continues "to address the threat from all angles: intelligence, law enforcement, and social policy."

Extremism can never be fought with extremism. This can only lead to a vicious circle like what we see today in the Middle East, Afghanistan and many other parts of the world. When the Syrian crisis erupted, many world leaders and journalists thought it was a matter of a few weeks and all will be over. It’s been years and it will take very many more years for it to be resolved, if at all. It took Hafez Al Assad decades to get the grip on Syria and a very high human and economical price was paid as a result. Daesh / ISIS, Al Qaeda, Al Nusra, etc… did not just evolve out of nothing. You mentioned a few factors in your article, but there are many other factors that have contributed to their rise and to some extent to them being accepted by the population of many countries. One must not forget that this ISIS & Co phenomenon has affected many countries around the world, albeit at varying degrees, and not only the Middle East. The social and economic disparities of the last decade, combined with post 9/11 regulations and discrimination of a group of the population add to this mix the “Arab Spring” and the Autocratic regimes in the Middle East, the social media and the wide differences on policies and other matters between the super powers (5+1), not forgetting of course the vested interests of many countries, all these and many more have created Daesh. To eradicate Daesh (as a force and as an ideology) one needs to deal constructively with all the issues that I mentioned and many more.

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